stair

A2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /stɛɚ/ UK /stɛə/ See IPA manual

Homophones

stare /stɛɚ/

Freq #25126

Meanings

1

noun
A set of steps for going up or down between levels of a building.

She ran up the stairs to her room.
2

noun
One single step in a staircase.

He tripped on the top stair.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a set of steps for going up... step

2 noun · one single step in a... step

Word family

Forms stairs

Related forms ladder landing scaffold

Etymology

From Middle English steire, staire, stayre, stayer, steir, steyre, steyer, from Old English stǣġer (“stair, staircase”), from Proto-West Germanic *staigri, from Proto-Germanic *staigriz (“stairs, scaffolding”), from Proto-Indo-European *steygʰ- (“to walk, proceed, march, climb”). Cognate with Dutch steiger (“a stair, step, wharf, pier, scaffolding”), Middle Low German steiger, steir (“scaffolding”), German Low German Steiger (“a scaffold; trestle”). Related to Old English āstǣġan (“to ascend, go up, embark”), Old English stīġan (“to go, move, reach; ascend, mount, go up, spring up, rise; scale…

*steygʰ- Proto-Indo-European steire Middle English stǣġer Old English *staigri Proto-West Germanic *staigriz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

External links

# stair

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /stɛɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /stɛə/
**Frequency rank:** 25126

## Meanings
1. A set of steps for going up or down between levels of a building.
2. One single step in a staircase.

## Examples
- She ran up the stairs to her room.
- He tripped on the top stair.

## Related Forms
- ladder
- landing
- scaffold

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *steygʰ-
- Root: steire
- Root: stǣġer
- Root: *staigri
- Root: *staigriz

## Etymology
From Middle English steire, staire, stayre, stayer, steir, steyre, steyer, from Old English stǣġer (“stair, staircase”), from Proto-West Germanic *staigri, from Proto-Germanic *staigriz (“stairs, scaffolding”), from Proto-Indo-European *steygʰ- (“to walk, proceed, march, climb”). Cognate with Dutch steiger (“a stair, step, wharf, pier, scaffolding”), Middle Low German steiger, steir (“scaffolding”), German Low German Steiger (“a scaffold; trestle”). Related to Old English āstǣġan (“to ascend, go up, embark”), Old English stīġan (“to go, move, reach; ascend, mount, go up, spring up, rise; scale…

## AI Etymology
Stair is from Middle English steire, staire, stayre, stayer, steir, steyre, steyer, from Old English stǣġer (“stair, staircase”), from Proto-West Germanic *staigri, from Proto-Germanic *staigriz (“stairs, scaffolding”), from Proto-Indo-European *steygʰ- (“to walk, proceed, march, climb”). Cognate with Dutch steiger (“a stair, step, wharf, pier, scaffolding”), Middle Low German steiger, steir (“scaffolding”), German Low German Steiger (“a scaffold; trestle”).

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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